


The Last Paladin

by Raye_Auburn



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, POV Third Person, Saiyans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22563427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raye_Auburn/pseuds/Raye_Auburn
Summary: When Goku, Vegeta and the other Saiyans on Earth and abroad become deathly ill, a forgotten friend comes to save the day. Will she be able to heal the Saiyans, and therefore protect the universe? Or will her tormented past come back to bite her?
Relationships: Android 18/Krillin (Dragon Ball), Brolly/Cheelai (Dragon Ball), Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Raditz/OC, Trunks Briefs/Mai, Videl Satan/Son Gohan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	The Last Paladin

Bulma drummed her fingers across her desk, brow creasing with anger. Her brain ached with frustration, as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on.  
She had spent years working on this project, and no matter what kind of progress she thought she had made, there was always another code to crack.  
Yes, the Prince of all Saiyans was an utter enigma to Bulma.  
She watched surveillance footage as he stumbled around the gravity room, destroying every training bot with a ki blast, rather than deactivating them.  
It would take her months to build and reprogram new bots of that same caliber, and it was going to take a lot of convincing on his part to get her to go through that again.  
The woman shut the tablet down, letting out an exasperated sigh. She had expected herself to be more upset, but instead of fire in her heart, there was only worry.  
Even when she didn’t understand some of her husband's erratic actions, Bulma knew when something was wrong with him.  
It started about a week ago.  
Vegeta had come home from training in the gravity room, just as he had done almost every day since he first came to Capsule Corp. Bulma was seated on their couch, waiting to go and see him.  
He smelled of sweat and oil, smells that Bulma had come to associate only with him. At first, she found it repulsive, but now it brought a smirk and a sly comment to her lips.  
Bulma moved to great him, but Vegeta collapsed beside her before she was able to rise. He laid his head down on her lap and fell asleep almost instantaneously.  
She had assumed he was just exhausted, that he has once again pushed himself too far, too soon.  
But even then, Bulma knew Vegeta would’ve eaten something before retiring.  
Her husband could skip out on a few days of sleep in lu of training, but he never voluntarily skipped a meal.  
Stranger yet, he had fallen asleep on her lap, without any sort of prodding on her end. Bulma didn’t mind. She brushed it off as yet another “Saiyan surprise” that she didn’t have time to look into.  
Until it happened the next evening.  
And the evening after that.  
Vegeta’s appetite waned dramatically  
He hardly ate. He hardly drank.  
He would trash in his sleep, covered in sweat and groaning in pain.  
He was quieter than usual, in fact, the quietest Bulma had ever seen him.  
He didn’t snap back at her or lecture their children.  
Bulma began to suspect Vegeta of severe overtraining, so she’s spent hours watching and rewatching security tapes from the gravity room. At first, Vegeta fought at an unconcerning rate. But slowly, over time, Bulma was shocked to see Vegeta barely making it through his sessions. She watched as Vegeta’s knees buckled under gravity levels she knew he had been comfortable with not two days previous. He would try to stand, try to fight, but would crumble into a heap as the gravity beat down upon him. Never had she seen Vegeta so vulnerable, so broken. 

Not even when the gravity room exploded all those years ago. 

For the first time, Bulma had seen him give up, even if it was just for a moment, and she decided to take action.  
She knew Vegeta would never admit to her that he was ill, but in his current state, if she timed it right, he could be persuaded to let her run some tests and see what was going on.  
So she set up a plan. She would secretly watch her husband train, wait for him to get to the point where he would let her take over, then swoop in and rescue him. 

So there she sat, watching her husband’s laborious attempts at training. Anxiety shot through her with every stumble, with every missed punch. She had to be ready to spring into action at any moment.  
Then, the opportunity came.  
The Saiyan prince miscalculated the force of his punch, missing the bot and landing hard on his side. The bots began to regroup, began to attack him while he was down. Bulma jumped to her feet, heels clicking as she dashed through capsule corp towards the gravity room.  
Before she knew it, Bulma was in a full sprint.  
In six inch heels no less.  
She reached the desk in front of the gravity room, where Vegeta’s secretary clicked away on her computer.  
“Stop the simulation.”  
“Doctor Bulma! What a surprise! I’ll let Mr. Vegeta-“  
“I SAID STOP THE DAMN SIMULATION!!”  
The shocked secretary pressed a few buttons and the doors flashed from red to green.  
Bulma forced her way through the door. Her husband lay in a bloodied, crumpled heap. Bulma fell to her knees, pulling Vegeta into her lap. He was unconscious, feverish. Bulma checked his pulse, which was lethargic but present. The startled secretary poked her head through the door, eyes wide with shock. Bulma’s head swiveled, eyes locking on the flabbergasted woman.  
“GET EMERGENCY SERVICES IN HERE NOW!!”  
“Yes, Ma’m!!” The woman bolted from the room, the door slamming behind her. Bulma held her husband close, feeling tears pricking in her eyes as she rocked him.  
“You damned Saiyan, why didn’t you tell me something was wrong,” she whispered into his hair as her tears fell onto his cheeks, “if you die on me, I’ll never forgive you. Just hang in there ...hang in there…..”

Pots bubbled and pans simmered, filling the kitchen with the scent of breakfast. Chi-chi wiped her brow with the back of her hand, nodding in satisfaction. It took her hours to prepare enough food to feed her boys, and in order to make sure that Goku got a good meal before his early morning training, chi-chi woke just before the stars had started to fade.  
She had been doing it for years, and it was her favorite part of the day. To see her husband stroll in, hair messy and eyes sleepy, made her heart flutter. Goten’s hugs and thank yous made it all worth it. She loved her little family, though she missed having Gohan in the house with them. He visited often, and she watched her granddaughter on date nights when Piccolo wasn’t available, but Chi-chi felt like she had pushed her son away, that she didn’t see him enough.  
And that’s why today she had decided to host a harvesting competition. Just her boys, the field, and the clock. They had all enthusiastically agreed, none of them wanting to back away from a challenge. Chi-chi was elated, even planning a massive meal after the event in order to spend more time together as a family. 

Chi-chi sighed dreamily as she plated the last of breakfast, just as the sun broke over the mountain and flooded their farmland in golden warmth. Chi-chi poured herself her morning tea, taking small sips as she basked in the glory of her farm. She was so proud of Goku and all the hard work he had put into it, and the money it was bringing in was making life at home much less contentious. 

Her daydreams were interrupted by strong arms wrapped around her middle and a mess of back hair buried in her shoulder. She let out a surprised laugh, patting her husband’s head.  
“Well! Took you long enough! When have you ever slept in?”  
Goku pulled away with a sleepy grin. Chi chi turned and faced him, trying and failing to keep a straight face. “Sleepy” was her favorite look on Goku. He looked harmless and dreamy, like he didn’t have a care in the world. It made her heart race and her face blush. Goku chuckled, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as his eyes roamed around the kitchen.  
“Wow chi chi! Look at all of this! You spoil me, babe!” He let out a yawn, and Chi-Chi nodded sternly.  
“And now it’s all gone cold because you didn’t get yourself out of bed! Go wake Goten while I heat it up, ok?” Goku smiled, walking passed her on his way to his son’s room. His smile turned mischievous as he pinched his wife’s behind. Chi-Chi yelped and swatted at him, a knowing smile on her face.  
“Goku…” she sputtered in false irritation.  
The Saiyan just winked and continued his stroll to retrieve his son for breakfast. 

Chi-Chi flicked on the stove and began heating up the cooling feast, carefully watching to make sure nothing became over cooked.  
Goku came waltzing back into the kitchen, Goten sound asleep in his arms  
“Poor kid’s exhausted Chi-Chi! How hard did you make him study yesterday?”  
“I don’t know Goku, how hard did you have him train?”  
The tall man laughed uncomfortably and shook his son.  
“Goten, you got to wake up buddy! Mom worked extra hard on breakfast this morning.”  
Chi-Chi, always the worrier, shuffled over. She ran a hand across her son’s forehead, checked his ears and nose, and placed her ear to his chest to listen to his heart beat. All was normal.  
Goku smirked at his wife, and started teasing her about how much she worried. Chi-chi responded with a scrunched face and a slug in the shoulder. Goku laughed and shook his head.  
“Man Chi-Chi, you know he’s alright! He’s just in a growth spurt or something.” Chi-chi had her back turned, taking breakfast off the burner and replating it. She hummed slightly, tuning out her husbands gibberish. She finished preparing the meal, and turned to see the kitchen empty. She felt her brow crease in annoyance as she rolled her eyes.  
“Oh Goku, stop it! I just got everything ready again! We don’t have time for games!” She hollered through the house.  
She was met with silence.  
Annoyance turned to worry as she began to move her way around the kitchen. She turned the corner and entered the dining room, where she saw Goku laying face down. Goten was sprawled out next to him, his body thrashing and convulsing. Chi-chi rushed to her husband's side, grunting as she turned the man to face her. His face was ashen and cold, blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Chi-chi’s eyes widened with horror and she scrambled to the bedroom where Goku’s phone sat in the dresser drawers. She frantically punched in the numbers, rushing back into the dining room. The phone rang and drawled, eventually turning to voicemail. Chi-chi hung up and called again  
And again  
After three failed attempts, Chi-chi thru the phone and grabbed her son. She dashed to the car, loaded him in, then returned to get her husband. She lifted him as best she could, the Ox princess half carried, half dragged her bulky husband to their car. She dropped him in the passenger seat, hopped in the driver’s side, and sped off towards Capsule Corp. She knew that Bulma would have something to help her boys, and she wouldn’t dare take them to the hospital for fear of what they would do to them. She edged the car onwards, speeding as fast as she could towards help. In the seat next to her, Goku moaned and shook with pain. Blood seeped from his nose and mouth, and his body was rigid. Goten cried out in bursts of pain, his whole body convulsing and shaking out of control. Chi-chi felt tears start to well in her eyes, but she brushed them away. She needed to focus on getting them help. Her eyes narrowed and she sped the car on, pushing the vehicle as fast as it would go.  
“Just hang in there.” She shouted to her passengers  
“Hang in there.” she whispered to herself. 

Bulma slowly paced the hospital room, heels tapping in sync with the lethargic beep of the heart monitor. Her heavily sedated husband lay motionless on the small bed, his oxygen mask fogging with each shallow breath.  
“Ischemic heart disease? That must be it, right? Can saiyans even get that…. Shit what if it's some sort of saiyan specific disease? Like Goku’s heart virus…”  
She ran her hands through her hair, forehead wrinkled in concentration.  
Violent coughs echoed around the room, and Bulma’s concentration broke as she hurried to her husband's side.  
She removed his oxygen mask, and held a towel to his lips. New blood mixed with the blood on the stained towel, and Bulma winced with every cough. She heard how much pain he was in, and she felt helpless as she watched him suffer.  
Right here, in her arms, he was weak.  
She cursed herself for letting it happen again.  
She ran one hand through his hair, and his fit subsided. His face went placid again, but his temperature had spiked, and he shivered harshly under her touch.  
She jumped as her side buzzed, a low ring filling the quiet room. Caller ID flashed with a certain violet haired smile and Bulma answered it.  
“Trunks, are you alright? Your dad...he’s really sick. Are you..”  
“Bulma! I’m so so sorry… we were playing in your lab ...and trunks ...Somethings really wrong.”  
Bulma felt her back go rigid, felt her heart seize with panic.  
“Mai, what’s going on? What’s wrong with Trunks?”  
Bulma could hear the tears in the girls voice as she frantically recalled what had happened. Bulma listened intently, pushing the call nurse button as she stood up made her way towards the door.  
Pilaf, Mai, Shu, and Trunks had been sneaking around her lab, when Trunks started to complain about a headache. Mai suggested he sit down and rest, and as he went to do so he collapsed. He started seizing, blood coming from his mouth and nose. Mai said it hasn’t stopped, and that Pilaf and Shu were holding him down so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Bulma cursed under her breath, bolting towards her lab as soon as Vegeta’s nurse arrived. She stayed on the phone, coaching Mai and the others on what to do. Once she was confident that Mai understood what to do, Bulma hung up and dialed her mother, her heart pounding. Panchy answered, her voice light and cheery.  
“Oh Bulma dear! How is your day? I’m sure your meetin’ went fantas-“  
“Mom, I need you to bring Bulla down to the hospital ward immediately. Trunks and Vegeta ...they've both collapsed. Has Bulla been acting strange at all?”  
“Oh My! How horrible! I haven’t noticed anything wrong with Bulla, she’s been a doll! Hasn’t woken up once, the little dear. We’ll get her to the hospital in a jiffy, don’t worry!”  
Bulma felt her tone of voice turn sour, her adrenaline pushing her faster towards her lab.  
“Mom, something is wrong, you need to get her here now. I have to get Trunks, but I’ll be back at the ward as soon as I can be. I’ll explain everything when I see you again.”  
Bulma ended the call and shoved her phone into her pocket.  
She had reached the entrance to the lab, and placed her hand on the scanner which beeped anautomated welcome as the doors opened. She hurried inside, barely looking around before she saw the group of kids. They were huddled around on the ground, prepared to get him to the ward, just as Bulma instructed.  
She called out to them, and all four of them carried Trunks in a mad dash toward the hospital. Bulma held back tears, she ran with primal urgency.  
Trunks shook violently in her arms, moaning lightly as he began to cough up blood. Bulma skidded to a stop as they reached the entrance of the hospital. She screamed at the faculty as they rushed to her aid. They took trunks, placed him on a gurney and carted him to the back, trying to keep him stable.  
Bulma looked around frantically, spotting Panchy and Bulla down the hallway. She ran to meet them, breathing heavily as she took her daughter. The baby was red faced and whimpering, her small frame shaking. A nurse came and took the baby from her, rushing her into the back to be stabilized along with her father and brother.  
As the doors swung shut, Bulma swayed slightly, a hand on her forehead. Her mother offered a steadying hand, listening intently as Bulma explained to her mother and the kids what had happened.  
“It might just be a nasty bug, Bulma. The docs will fix them up real good.”  
“No mom, something is wrong.” Bulma tapped her hand on her chest “I can feel it…”  
Sudden angry shouting made all of their heads snap towards the entrance of the hospital. The remaining hospital staff ran towards the source, and Bulma and the others joined them.  
Chi-chi held her son in one arm, and was trying her best to hold Goku up with the other. Worried tears streaked down her face as the staff loaded both boys onto stretchers and hurried them towards the emergency ward.  
Bulma ran to Chi-Chi, grabbing the younger woman’s shoulders firmly.  
“Chi-chi, what happened?!” Chi-chi sighed and shook her head  
“I-I don’t know! They just collapsed… and then they started to shake ... and bleed. Oh Bulma! What’s happening to my boys?”  
“It’s happening to everyone, Vegeta, trunks, even Bulla ...All the same symptoms. Chi-chi, it's my worst fear, but I think Goku’s heart virus might be back. And this time…”  
“It’s infectious.” Chi-chi’s eyes filled with horror.  
“So if it’s affecting the saiyans…Oh no.” Both women stared at each other in fear  
“Gohan”


End file.
